Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca Named Knight-Hennessy Scholar
May 07 2024 - 1:53PM
Business Wire
Senior double major receives prestigious
Stanford scholarship
Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca ’24 has been selected as a 2024
Knight-Hennessy Scholar, a prestigious graduate program that
prepares students to be purposeful leaders who address our world’s
important challenges. An ethnic studies and sociology double major,
Espinoza Salamanca joins 90 new scholars representing 30 countries
and 45 graduate degree programs in Stanford’s seventh cohort.
“Sarahi’s selection as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar highlights her
remarkable achievements and commitment to helping students
eliminate educational barriers to success,” said Ed Ryan,
acting provost of Santa Clara University. “Sarahi embodies Santa
Clara University’s vision of educating leaders of competence,
conscience, and compassion. There is no doubt she will use this
life-changing opportunity to build a more humane, just, and
sustainable world.”
Knight-Hennessy Scholars receive up to three years of financial
support to pursue a graduate degree program in any of Stanford's
seven graduate schools. Additionally, they participate in
experiential learning through the King Global Leadership Program,
which includes workshops, lectures, projects, and experiences that
strengthen transformational leadership capabilities.
“Each scholar brings a unique perspective to our growing
community,” said Tina Seelig, executive director of Knight-Hennessy
Scholars. “It is inspiring to see them build ties and gain
knowledge across disciplines, cultures, and ideologies,
contributing to their ability to address the world’s biggest
challenges.”
Espinoza Salamanca, founder and CEO of DREAMers Roadmap, a free
app that helps undocumented young people find information about
college scholarships, intends to pursue a master of arts in policy,
organization, and leadership studies through the Stanford Graduate
School of Education Her experience as an undocumented child, and
then navigating the immigration process as a young adult, has
inspired her to seek political office. She has charted a
several-year course from civic engagement in her hometown of
Redwood City to the governor’s office.
“I am honored to be the first Mexican from Santa Clara
University to join the 2024 cohort of Knight-Hennessy Scholars. I'm
excited to connect and collaborate with my fellow scholars in
building a supportive community," said Espinoza Salamanca. “I’m
grateful to my many mentors, professors, family, and friends who
believed in me all along the way. I want all students who may have
been told that people like them don't get to go to college, to know
WE CAN attend college and WE can achieve our academic goals and
dreams. Si Se Puede!”
At Santa Clara, Espinoza Salamanca has been involved in the LEAD
Scholars Program, the Latinx Leadership Incubator Project, the
Diversity and Inclusion Student Center, Alpha Sigma Nu, and the
Hispanic Serving Institution Advisory Group. She was the 2023
recipient of the Francisco Jiménez Scholar Award.
Espinoza Salamanca is SCU’s third Knight-Hennessy Scholar,
joining Hayley Raquer ‘16 and Jasmyn Burdsall ’20 who
won in 2018 and 2021, respectively. Espinoza Salamanca was named to
Negocios Now “Latinos 40 Under 40” Class of 2024 in the Silicon
Valley/San Francisco Bay Area and the Forbes “30 under 30:
Education” in 2016. She received The Ohtli Award in 2017, was
recognized by the House of Representatives in 2015, and was named a
Champion of Change by President Obama in 2014.
About Knight-Hennessy Scholars
Established in 2016, Knight-Hennessy Scholars is named for Phil
Knight, MBA '62, philanthropist and co-founder of Nike Inc., and
John Hennessy, chairman of Alphabet Inc. and president emeritus of
Stanford (2000-2016). Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest
fully-endowed, university-wide graduate fellowship in the world.
Learn more at kh.stanford.edu.
About Santa Clara University
Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of
Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial
region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is
home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the
top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World
Report, SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the
nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of
universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced
elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars.
With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and
engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the
curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness
grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more
information see www.scu.edu.
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Lisa Robinson | SCU Media Communications | lrobinson2@scu.edu |
408-551-3601